366 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Dec. 
sionally produce a superior animal, but that this does 
not prove the goodness of the system. It has been re¬ 
marked by others that though most animals bred in- 
and-in are of little value, this is, notwithstanding, the 
course to produce prodigies. A good judge of stock 
and successful breeder, once observed to the writer, 
that in-and-in breeding was sure to produce an uncom¬ 
monly good or an uncommonly bad animal—the ten¬ 
dency would be to extremes. And it. has been said in 
relation to the stock of a noted breeder in England, 
who has long practiced breeding from close affinities, 
that though some of his animals have possessed extra¬ 
ordinary excellence, a large majority of them have been 
precisely the reverse. 
The Londpn Farmer’s Journal of Nov. 21, 1823, 
publishes an article signed “ John Hall, of Little 
Marshall, near Exeter, a Breeder of Sockburn Short- 
Horns.” He attributed the impotency of Short-Horn 
bulls, (of which much complaint had been made in for¬ 
mer numbers of the publication mentioned,) to “ an 
unfortunate, obstinate perseverance in the in-and-in 
system of breeding,'*’ which he believed had been car- 
ried toa“ most fatal extent in what were called ‘ Im¬ 
proved Short-Horns.’” He adds, also, that “'the 
weakness of constitution, and consequent great mor¬ 
tality of calves, may assuredly be attributed to this cause. 
Mr. Youatt, in his work on British Cattle, (p. 
377,) speaking of ■“ catarrh or hoose,” observes— 
“ Where the system of breeding in-and-in has been car¬ 
ried to too great an extent, and been pursued in defi¬ 
ance of many a warning, hoose, perpetually occurring, 
difficult to remove, and degenerating into confirmed 
phthisis, will painfully, but somewhat too late, con¬ 
vince the farmer of his mistake.” 
) 
REPORTS OF COMMITTEES OF AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES. 
We have often had it in mind to say something on 
the subject of reports of committees appointed to ad¬ 
judge premiums at cattle shows and agricultural exhi¬ 
bitions. These reports are often of such a character 
that they afford but little satisfaction or benefit to the 
public. They sometimes merely state the awards in 
the briefest manner possible—giving only a list of the 
premiums and the successful competitors. The con¬ 
sequence is that people in general are wholly at a loss 
as to the reason why one article or animal has been 
preferred to another. 
It is, or should be the design of agricultural socie¬ 
ties to encourage excellence in the various objects for 
which they'offer premiums,- and in order that this de¬ 
sign may be best promoted, every person should have 
a distinct idea of what is held to constitute excellence— 
that is, the qualities which the society or its acting 
agents would most approve, should be clearly known 
and understood. The people should be told plainly on 
what the judges form their preferences. As matters 
are frequently managed, the public are ignorant on this 
point. Different persons compete for a premium: each 
believes that the particular qualities of his animal or 
article entitle it to the preference over the others: the 
judges award the prize, but the reasons for their pre¬ 
ference are never known by either the successful or 
unsuccessful competitors, or the public in general. 
Hence the judges are charged with favoritism by some, 
and by others the competition is looked upon as a lot¬ 
tery where all depends on chance. 
Now all this difficulty could be obviated if the com¬ 
mittees, in connection with the statement of their 
awards, would also furnish the grounds of their deci¬ 
sions. Should they, for instance, be called on to award 
premiums on cows, let them state the points and qua- 
Sties which they have regarded, and show wherein the 
animal that has received the highest prize has been 
deemed superior to the others; This course would in 
a great degree silence murmuring, and inspire confi¬ 
dence, at least in the honesty of decisions. 
In relation to this subject, we find some good sug¬ 
gestions in a late communication to the Burlington 
(Vt.V Free Press, from which we take the following 
extract: 
“ The mere award of premiums, contains nothing 
of interest beyond that of a personal nature. There is 
no element of general interest in a report comprising 
nothing more., In order that a report may be of gene¬ 
ral interest, it must contain some information of a 
general nature, on the subject, to which the attention 
of the committee is called. There must be a state¬ 
ment of the principles by which the committee have 
been guided in making the awards. Take an example. 
Should the Committee on Farm Implements commence 
their report by stating briefly and accurately, what 
constitutes a .good plow; how the form of the plow 
should be varied for different kinds of plowing; what 
soils require furrows of peculiar inclination and depth, 
and what plows are best fitted for different soils, there 
would be something in the report of real and univer¬ 
sal interest and value. Then the awards should fol¬ 
low. and the why and the wherefore of each award 
would, be manifest to every one. Such a report would 
show that the members of the committee had a correct 
or faulty understanding of their business for the time 
being; and would tend more to provoke that kind of 
discussion among the farmers, which results in pro¬ 
gress, than anything or all things else emanating from 
the society.” 
One cause of the brevity of repoyts, is the hurry and 
confusion which inevitably attends the meetings at 
which they are made. Their delivery is generally the 
last business which is attended to by the societies pre¬ 
vious to adjournment; and the people, wearied and 
excited with t-he various incidents of the occasion, are 
desirous of hearing the “ conclusion of the whole mat¬ 
ter ” in the fewest words and least time, that they may 
the sooner be on their way home. Under these cir¬ 
cumstances, the reading of elaborate reports, however 
valuable or well written, would hardly be listened to 
with the attention necessary to their being appre 
ciated. 
In relation, also, to the publication of the awards 
of committees, it is proper to state that the papers 
through which they are given, are often so limited for 
room that they cannot give more than a summary of 
the premiums. This is the case in regard to the 
awards made at the shows of the New-York State So¬ 
ciety. The list is a long one, even when it is abridged 
to the greatest practicable degree; and as there is 
always great anxiety to learn, at the earliest moment, 
how the prepiiums have been decided, it becomes al¬ 
most necessary to publish the whole at one time. This 
of course precludes the possibility of giving the reports 
of committees in detail; but most societies publish 
their transactions in separate pamphlets or volumes, 
and these afford the appropriate mediums for giving 
to the public every thing connected with the societies, 
or having a bearing on subjects which come within the 
sphere of their operation. 
